Valve-indicator



L IDE.

VALVE INDIGATOR.

(No Model.)

Ptented July 21` lllllllllllmlllllllllllllllllllllmmllllIllll'llllllllli NV PETERS. PhokvLiihogrnpher, Washinghm, D. C.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEi ALBERT L. IDE, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

VALVE-INDICATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.322,723, dated July 21, 1885.

Application filed February 18, 1855. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. IDE, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Indicators;

Y and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, `which form a part of this specification.

My invention is herein illustrated in connection with a steam-engine similar tothat shown in an application for Patent No.125,67 2, made by me upon the27th day of March, 1884. The said engine is of that class intended to run at ahigh rate of speed, and having automatic cut-off mechanism for using steam expansively, the said engine being provided with a governor constructed to automatically control the movements of the steam-valve, so as to out off the supply of steam to the cylinder when the speed for which the governor is adjusted is exceeded, and to admit steam through a greater part of the stroke when the speed of the engine is decreased by an increase of resistance.

The governor herein illustrated is of that class known as 1ly-wheel7 governors, or in which the eccentric which actuates the valve is made laterally movably upon the shaft in such manner as to vary the throw of the ec centric-rod, and wherein the eccentric is connected with arms pivoted to the fly-wheel and provided with adjustable weights, which tend by their centrifugal action to move the eccentric in a direction to shorten theV throw oi' the rod, and thereby lessen the movement of the valve when the speed of the engine is increased, the outward movement of the said weights being controlled by springs constructed to hold the eccentric normally at a point which gives the valve full throw, and which are so adjusted with reference to the weights that upon any increase of the speed beyond that desired the weights will be thrown outwardly in opposition to the force of the springs, and thereby shorten the throw of the valve, and upon any decrease of the speed Y caused by additional resistance the springs will draw the weights inwardly, so as 4 to give a longer throw to the valve,and thereby permit the steam to follow -the piston through a greater part of the stroke. y

. In all engines using steam expansively, either by means of the cut-oft' mechanism herein described or otherwise, it is desirable nected therewith, which pointer is arranged to move over a scale marked to indicate by the extent of the throw of the valve the number of inches of steam in the cylinder at the moment the steam is cut off, whereby movements of such pointer will indicate to the eye at all times the condition under which the engine is operating, and thus enable the boiler-pressure to be regulated so as to obtain the best results with the greatest economy in the use of steam. Such indicator also, in connection with the known steam-pressure and the speed of the piston, furnishes the necessary data whereby the work done or the amount of power exerted by the engine, and expressed in horse-power or otherwise, may be readily calculated at any time.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figure lis a side or front elevation of an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an `enlarged transverse section through the engine-frame, taken upon line a: fr of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is 'an enlarged detail section taken upon a vertical plane through the engine-cylinder and steam-chest upon line .fr x of Fig. 2.

Themain frame or bed A of the engine shown in the said drawings is similar to that shown in the application above referred to, and the steam-cylinder B is secured to the frame at one end of the latter in the same manner as shown in said application. The said engine is provided with a crankshaft, C, having the usual bearing in the frame A, and provided with a crank-disk, C, having the usual crank-pin, c, and also with a balance or band wheel,HC2, herein shown as provided with a ily-wheel IOO governor or regulator, C3. The cylinder B is provided with a piston, E, of any ordinary or preferred construction, to which is attached the piston-rod E', attached to a cross-head, F, constructed to operate. in-the guides G and G', formed upon the engine-frame, said pistonrod being connected with the crank-pin c by means of a connecting-rod, F', in the usual manner. y

H is the valve-casing or steam-chest, which is preferably located beneath the cylinder, and is provided with a'slide-valve, I, which is, as herein shown, ofthe form known asa hollow piston7 valve, and is operated from an eccentric upon the engine-shaft through the medium of the rock-shaft J, which is provided with an upwardly-projecting arm, J, connected with the usual eccentric-rod, said rock-shaft also being provided with a downwardly-proj ecting arm, J 2, which is connected with the said valve I by means of a valve-rod, I, and connectingrod I2.

As a convenient means of constructing and operating an indicator of the character above described in the engine herein shown, 'the hand or pointer O of the indicator is applied to the end of the rock-shaft J through the medium of which the slide-valve is actuated, said pointer being arranged to operate in connection with a curved scale, I), secured to the engineframe concentrically with the said shaft. By this construction the hand or pointer O will obviously in all cases partake ofthe motion of the valve. Ihe pointer O is conveniently attached to the shaft J in the construction herein shown by being placed over the square end of the said shaft and held thereon by the head J4L of a screw-plug, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The said scale, as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with a central blank space, which represents the lap of the valve, the division lines or graduations at either side of said blank space representing the extent of travel in the valve from its position at thetime the ports begin to open to the extreme limit of the stroke under the different relative positions of the valve and piston as determined by the action of the governing device upon the valve. Ihe central blank space obviously measures the movements of the valve when it is not moved far enough to admit any steam to the cylinder, and the limits of said blank space indicate the positions of the valve at the moment the ports begin to open, and when the steam is cut off the graduations upon either side of the blank space indicate the extent to which the valve is moved while the port is open'and consequently the quantity of steam admitted to the cylinder during such time, it being entirely obvious that the shorter the throw of the valve the quicker will be the cut off and vthe 'smaller kthe quantity of live steam admitted to the cylinder. rlhe quantity of steam thus admitted may be most convenientlymeasured by the number of inches of travel in the piston, (or, in other words, the inches of steam in the cylinder behind the piston at the moment the steam-supply is cut off,) and the scale is therefore preferably adapted to indicate the extent of movement in the valve past the opening and cut-oill points when the ports are opened to admit live steam sufficient in quantity to move the piston one, two, or three, or other number of inches, so that the eX- treme positions of the indicator upon the scale so marked will at all times during the operation of the engine indicate the inches of steam in the cylinder at the moment the steam-supply is cut o. x

In constructing the scale l? the position of the linesA or graduations thereon may be mostV conveniently determined after the engine has been set upr and the several parts thereof put together by first placing the valve at the two points of cut-off and marking the positions of the pointer at such times, the marks thus made indicating the extent of the valve lap or central blank space of the scale. The piston is then placed at a distance of one inch from the end of its throw, the cut-off or governing devices are placed and secured in position to bring the valve and pointer at the point of cut-off, the crank-shaft is turned, and the extreme positions of the pointer under these conditions are marked upon the scale. The piston is then placed at two inches from the end of its throw, the position of the governing device again changed and set so as to bring the valve at the point of cut-off with the piston in the position indicated, the shaft rotated so as to give full throw to the valve, and the extreme limits of the movement of the pointer marked as before. rIhe same process is repeated with the piston at three, four, live, &c., inches from the end of its throw, so that there is nally marked upon the scale, a series of graduations indicating, by the extent of movement of the valve, the number of inches of steam in the cylinder at the time the steam is out off.

By the process described a scale is made in which all errors from calculation are eliminated, and which is accurate for each engine.

It is of course not essential that an oscillating pointer, as is herein shown, should be used, inasmuch as a pointer or index attached directly to the valve-rod and moving over a straight scale or indicator attached to another part, which moves with the valve or valve-rod and which is used in connection with the scale graduated as above set forth, will accomplish the general results herein described.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to employ in valve-indicators a scale in connection with a pointer moving with the valve to show the position of the latter with relationjto'th'e valve-ports, and I do not therefore claim, broadly, such indicator.; but my invention, as it relates to the part mentioned, is restricted to an indicator graduated to show the number of inches of steam in the cylinder when the steam isA cut off', as set forth in the appended claims.

Improved results in point of simplicity and IOO IIO

economy of construction are obtained by attaching the index-hand of the indicator to the end of the rock-shaft, as shown, and this novel construction is also, therefore, herein claimed.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the steam-valve of a steam-engine, of an indicator operated by the movement of the valve, and constructed to show the number of inches of steam in the cylinder at the moment the steam-supply is cut off, substantially as described.

2. The combination, With the steam-valve of a steam-engine, of an indicator showing the number of inches of steam in the cylinder at the time the steam-supply is cut off, comprising a pointer or index-hand operated by the movement of the valve, and a stationary scale or dial having a central blank space showing ALBERT L. Inn.

- Witnesses:

GHAs. A. ORR, H. L. IDE. 

